Transplant teen undergoes surgery

A teenager who missed a liver transplant operation earlier this summer because of botched transport plans underwent surgery today in London.

Meadhbh McGivern (14) was flown out in the middle of the night by the Air Corps after being offered a viable organ for the second time in three months.

Meadhbh, who missed the opportunity of a liver transplant operation in London in July because of blunders over a medical flight, left surgery tonight after ‘a difficult and challenging operation’.

“As expected, it was a difficult and challenging operation. However, the liver has now been transplanted and Meadhbh is out of theatre,” said a spokesman for Kings College.

“She is being transferred to our paediatric intensive care unit where she will be kept under close observation. Her condition is currently stable. Meadhbh’s parents are being supported by hospital staff,” the spokesman went on.

Meadhbh’s condition, a progressive liver disease, worsened last week and she was in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin for nine days.

The family, from Ballinamore, Leitrim, were notified about the viable organ shortly after 10pm yesterday and were transferred to London Heathrow on the Learjet, arriving at King’s at 1.30am.

Mr McGivern, who is waiting at the hospital with his wife Assumpta, said: “When the call came through last night we thought ‘is it for real?’

“Meadhbh was delighted and overjoyed. Until she got on the plane she was not really believing that she’d make it. Once we were in the air then she knew.”

If the transplant is successful, Meadhbh will remain in King’s for up to six weeks.

The Defence Force said the Air Corps mission bringing Meadhbh to London was the second carried out last night. It was the 52nd this year.

A private air ambulance company, AeroMedevac Ireland, remained on standby in Dublin in case attempts to secure a flight with the Air Corps failed.

Meadhbh missed the offer of a liver transplant in July after a breakdown in communications in arranging rapid air ambulance transport.

The Government announced that a new system to co-ordinate the transfer of patients abroad for emergency medical procedures is to be established following the incident.

A report by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) found the system put in place by the State for transferring patients abroad in urgent circumstances for treatments not available in Ireland “was not designed to be reliable”.

In a second transfer last night a HSE team was taken from Dublin to Cork from Baldonnel by the Air Corps on an organ retrieval mission.

Additional reporting: PA